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L H. CORTHESY. DISTILLATION 0F LIQUID HYDROCARBONS AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR- 29. 1919.

Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JULES HDPOLY'I'E OOBTHISY, 0F BABNSBURY, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOB- 0F ONE-HALF TO SAVEBIO THOMAS STEPHEN CASTELLI, OF KENSINGI'ON, LONDON,

ENGLAND.

EISTILLATION OF LIQUID HYDBOOABBONS AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Specification 0! Letters l'atent.

Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

Application filed April 29, 1919. Serial No. 893,486.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Junns Hrrronrrn Con'rnnsr, a citizen of the Republic of Switzerland, residing at 50 Thornhill Houses, Barnsbury, London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements Relating to the Distillation of Liquid Hydrocarbons and Apparatus Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to thetreatment of liquid hydrocarbons chiefly designed for the 1 separation of the lighter oils or fractions from the heavier ones and has for its object to perform this operation more rapldly and economically than by the processes now in use.

According to this invention the oil to be treated, instead of being supplied in a body to the evaporating vessel is introduced in the form-of drops or spray, and is subjected therein to a whirling, vortex or like action at such a velocity that the heavier particles which are not at once volatilized will be thrown by centrifugal action toward the wall of the evaporating vessel while the lighter or more volatile portion will occupy the center of the vortex and be conveyed from the center of the said evaporating vessel to a condenser, or to a oint at which the vapor is to be utilized. he unvolatilized portion of the liquid or vapor which is thrown toward or againstthe walls is discharged through a suitable outlet or outlets into a receptacle for receiving it, or enters another evaporating vessel heated to a different temperature and so on.

The whirling or vortex action is produced by returning a portion of the vapor into the evaporating chamber at a suitable velocity and superheated, or b a separate current of gas similar to that rom the liquid being distilled and having the required degree of heat for effecting the distillation.

A suitable arrangement of apparatus for carrying out this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of such apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 22, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of an apparatus for efi'ecting a fractional distillation.

0: indicates a cylindrical evaporating vessel which, as shown, is arranged over a chamber which may be fitted as a furnace, c mdlcatm the flue for the escape of the products 0 combustiontherefrom.

d, d indicate a series of holes or perforat1ons in the upper 1 end of the cylinder through which the crudepetroleum Or other liquid to, be treated is introduced into the sa1d cylinder from the supply pipe 6, and f is a nozzle in the bottom of the cylinder through which the unvolatilized portion of the liquid is discharged. The volatilized portion of the liquid is taken ofi from the center of the vessel through the pipe 9 which extends through a coolingtank h provided with circulating pipes z, 2'. Connected to the pipe 9 in the upper part of the tank It are coils k, is through which the vapor passes, a partition is being placed across the pipe 9 to cause the vapor to be condensed to pass through the said coils, the liquid of condensation passing into the lower part of the said pipe 9 and being discharged through the pipe Z.

m indicates an annular passage which is formed around the cylinder 0. and which communicates with the interior of the said cylinder through a series of tangential aper tures 'n, n. This annular passage m is connected by a by-pass pipe 0 to the pipe 9 and has arranged in its length a rotary fan '1) which may be driven in any suitable manner, the said fan servin to draw vapor from the pipe 9 and to deliver it into the annular passage m whence it passes through the tangential apertures a into the cylinder a to produce the vortex action therein hereinbefore referred to. Instead of the annular passage and series of tangential openings only one of such openings maybe employed.

In practice the pipe 9 is advantageously contracted adjacent to the fan inlet and in order to check the flow of vapor adjacent to such inlet and thus render'a portion thereof available for introduction into the chamber a as hereinbefore described. In order to heat to the required temperature the vapor delivered into the evaporating vessel a the passage 0 is preferably extended through the furnace chamber 6 as indicated at 0 in Fig. 1 and in order that the fan p shall not be damaged by the heated gases its driving shaft is advantageously made hollow to allow of a water circulation therethrough.

With the arrangement hereinbefore deries of superposed cylinders through which the crude oil will successively pass through annular spaces 9, g or suitable perforations,

each chamber being provided-with an independent outlet for the distilled vapor the outlets of the several chambers being con- Rcentric as illustrated at 1' in Fig. 3. The

several chambers are heated to difierent temperatures, the upper one being subjected to the lowest temperature and the tempera tures rising throughout the series toward the lowest chamber. In this case separate fans would be provided in connection with the several chambers, each drawing its supply of vapor from the particular discharge pipe from the chamber in connection with the fan and returning the vapor through one of the vapor inlets s, such supply being heated during its passage to and from the chamber by any suitable heating device.

Claims:

1. A method of distillin liquid hydrocarbons consisting in intro ucing such hydro-carbons into a vessel in the form of drops or spray and subjecting them therein to the action of a heated current of gas similar to that to be produced and moving in a circular or like path at such velocity that centrifugal action will be set up which will carbons consisting in introducing such hydro-carbons into a heated vessel in the form of drops or spray and in subjectin it therein to a whirling or vortex action 0 a heated current of gas at such a velocity that the heavier particles which are not volatilized will be thrown by centrifugal action toward the wall of the said vessel, and the lighter or volatilized portion will occupy the center of the vortex, substantially as described.

4. An apparatus for the distillation of liquid hydro-carbons comprising a cylindrical vessel designed to be heated and into which the liquid hydro-carbon to be volatilized is introduced in the form of drops or spray, means for subjectin the liquid to a whirling or vortex action in the said chamber and for discharging the volatilized portion thereof through the centerof the vessel and the unvolatilized portionnear the periphery and means for returning a portion of the volatilizedvapor into the chamber to set up a vortex action therein, substantially as described.

5. Apparatus of the kind claimed in claim 4, wherein a seriesof chambers are superposed and arranged to discharge the vapors produced therein through concentric passages, substantially as described.

J ULES HIPPOLYTE CORTHESI. 

